No Ordinary Fairy Tale
by TouchedbyaMunster
Summary: What happens when the Powell family comes to Storybrooke? Notes: I am in the process of writing a NOF season 2 fanfiction. In the style of Edgar Allen Poe,I'm starting from the end. this story wraps up my NOF season 2 fanfiction. I will add the other stories to lead into this one later. Set in b/t seasons 1 & 2 of OUAT.
1. Chapter 1

"**No Ordinary Fairy Tale" **

Michael Chicklis: _"Previously on __No Ordinary Family"__…_

_After seemingly defeating the last supervillain on the list, the Powells plan to go after Helen Burton and her shapeshifting accomplice, Victoria. _

(Clips are replayed of the family battling the supervillains.)

_Helen Burton has a mysterious phone conversation with none other than Mr. Gold aka Rumplestiltskin. _

(A clip is replayed of Mrs. X/Helen Burton talking to Mr. Gold on the phone. )

_Helen and Victoria head off to Storybrooke. _

At the lair…

"Did you find anything yet, George?" Jim asked, worriedly.

"As a matter of fact, I did." George said, "The tracker I placed on Burton's car stopped right here. As soon as I get the coordinates…"

"Don't have to," JJ said, "Supergenius, remember?"

"Just do your thing, Smart Boy!" George retorted.

"Helen Burton is hiding out in a place called…Storybrooke, Maine." JJ said.

FADE OUT

Opening title

FADE IN

LAIR

"Jim, I'm the fastest," Stephanie said, "I'll run over there and put an end to this woman once and for all."

"No, Steph," Jim said, "It's too dangerous. We've all seen what this woman can do. With the trillsettum formula in her system, there's no telling what she's capable of now."

"You're right," Stephanie said, "we'll have to go together!"

"Uh, guys?" George said, "I hate to break up this heroic family moment, but did y'all forget: we've got one last super out there, unaccounted for."

"We'll have to figure out a way to defeat him and then head off this Storybrooke town for the final battle." Jim said, "And bring Globaltech's illustrious CEO to justice…once and for all!"

"That may be easier said than done," George said, "I've looked at all commutes to and from the town. Only two people have been to Storybrooke, and only one person has ever left and come back."

"Well, can you get a trace on the people?" Jim asked.

"Checking," George said, typing away at his computer. "One Emma Swan. A bail-bonds agent from Boston. She accompanied a boy named Henry Mills over to Storybrooke, and hasn't returned since." "Who is this boy?" Stephanie asked.

"He appears to be her son," George said, "I'm pulling up a copy of the town's newspaper, _The Daily Mirror,_ and it says she gave her son up for adoption. Guess who adopted him? Storybrooke's mayor, Regina Mills."

"George, you said there was another person who entered the town and didn't come out…" Jim said.

"Yeah," George said, "some guy who was calling himself August W. Booth. Seems like a bum to me. His record shows he spent some brief time in Juvie when he was boy. Other than that, I got nothing on him, no birth certificate, medical bills, nothing. All the guy had on him was a motorcycle and a typewriter."

"That's just great, George," Jim said, "but how does this all connect to Helen and the supervillains?"

"Well, in recent months satellites have detected a cloud of mystical properties hovering over and around Storybrooke, enveloping the town and all inside in an impenetrable prison." George said.

"So how did Helen and the supervillains get in?" Jim asked.

"Maybe the particular effects of their powers, extenuated by the trillsettum, could cause the subjects to have the ability to override force fields and destroy barriers." Stephanie hypothesized, "The only question is, how do we override the barrier? Any ideas, J.J.?"

The family all turned towards their genius son and brother, who was contemplating the overwhelming situation.

"This barrier that surrounds the town," JJ said, "It's unlike anything currently known to science. It's almost like…magic. And maybe the trilsetum can neutralize magic in a way."

"Let's get down there and find out" Jim said, "Kids, you stay here with George."

"Dad, you'll need our help," Daphne pleaded.

"No Daphne," Jim protested, "it's too dangerous, we'll call you if we need backup, but you two kids are our last resort. Stay safe."

With that, Jim and Stephanie Powell kissed their children goodbye as they quickly proceeded to the strange little town of Storybrooke, Maine.

Meanwhile, in Storybrooke…

With the curse being broken, everyone was now aware of who they were.

At Mary Margaret's/Snow White's house…

"Henry, what does this magic mean?" Emma asked her son.

"I don't know," Henry said, "I didn't even know about Rumplestiltskin."

"Rumplestiltskin is the most dangerous man in all the realms." Prince James said, "We can't let him go on like this."

"At least we have our daughter back," Snow said, hugging Emma.

"I can't believe it," Emma said, "but I do. My mother actually is Snow White and she's my age."

"I know," Snow said, "I'm glad you found us, Emma. We need to work together to defeat Regina once and for all."

"Regina's running scared, isn't she?" Emma asked. "She's lost everything."

"Maybe not," Prince Charming said, "Magic has been brought to this land."

"That must mean it will work out in the Queen's favor," Snow said, "Regina is powerful once again, but she still can be stopped."

"So that means that if the Evil Queen has magic again," Henry thought aloud, "then so does Rumplestiltskin."

In Mr. Gold's pawn shop…

Rumple, formerly known as Mr. Gold, talked to Belle.

"I knew that Regina was lying to me, Belle." Rumple said, "That witch will pay. All magic comes with a price."

"I know, Rumplestiltskin," Belle said, "you must choose between me and your magic. You can't have both."

"But Dearie, I get everything I want. I'm going to have you and my son Bae along with my power, while I watch Regina suffer. I will make Regina suffer." Rumple said.

"I love you, Rumple," Belle said with a sigh, "but you don't need to have your power to happy. You can have love, you can have your family, and still be happy."

"Yes, Dearie," Rumple said, "but as I've said, magic is power. I'm a coward without magic, magic is evil, and I need this power in order to beat Regina."

"How did you acquire this power?" Belle asked.

"With this dagger," Rumple said, holding up the dagger with his name inscribed on it. "If someone kills me with it, they get my power. Bae wanted to find another way."

"And that other way was my kiss," Belle said, "The kiss of true love that would free you from this dark bondage."

"Yes, but you understand I need my power—"

"To vanquish Regina, I know. What's wrong with you, Rumplestiltskin? Why can't you just accept the love Bae had for you, the love I have for you? This power is blinding you, it's keeping you prisoner. This power struggle you have with Regina needs to end. We can beat her, without magic powers, and you can be courageous and brave, I know you can." Belle said.

She leans forward to kiss him.

"Stop, Dearie." Rumple said, holding the dagger between them.

"Rumple, you could've cut me!" Belle said, as she slapped his hand away, which caused him to drop the dagger and cut his hand.

"But you cut me, Dearie." Rumple said.

Suddenly, a magical energy poured out from the wound, and engulfed Rumple's body.

"What's happening?" Belle asked.

As the magical mist cleared, Rumplestiltskin emerged in his full fairy tale impish form.

He let out his signature giggle.

"Now there's no way for the Queenie to beat me now," Rumple said in his impish voice.

Later, in a secret unground location, Regina pondered her fate.

She was in her chamber of hearts trying to develop her magic powers when she heard a loud rumbling from above her.

She rushed out of the chamber to find Prince Charming, Emma, and Snow facing off against a hulking brute with some type of superpowers.

"Emma! Snow! Get out of here!" Charming yelled, "I'll handle this brute!"

"You think you can stop me?" the man yelled, "I'm invincible!"

He clapped his massive hands, sending out shock waves of kinetic energy, which caused the Prince to fly backward.

"Hey!" Charming yelled, as he threw his sword straight at the villain in question.

The man simply swat the sword aside. He rushed toward Charming, but was hit from the side by an arrow.

Snow fired arrows at the evildoer. Emma was shooting at him with a gun, to learn to her dismay that he was impervious to bullets.

He rushed toward the ladies, when a man leapt in front of them. It was Jim Powell.

"Get of here!" Jim yelled, "we'll handle this!"

Stephanie grabbed Charming and rushed him over to Snow & Emma. They quickly retreated back inside Snow's apartment, while Jim handled the villain.

"I told you before, Powell!" he yelled, "You can't stop me!"

"Oh yeah?" Jim said, "we'll just see about that! Stephanie, now!"

Stephanie rushed at the villain from behind, but he backhanded her.

"Steph!" Jim shouted, "Nobody hurts my wife!"

Jim leapt on top of his foe, sending him toppling down upon impact.

Jim started punching him.

The villain got the upper-hand and strangled Jim. Stephanie recovered, and saw Charming's sword. She grabbed it and cut an electrical wire. She wrapped the severed wire around their foe, shocking their enemy into unconsciousness.

Stephanie panted from the adrenaline rush.

"Good work, Steph," Jim said.

"Yes, good work indeed." a female voice said. It was Regina! "My name is Regina Mills, I'm the mayor of this town. Welcome to Storybrooke."

"Hello, Mayor Mills." Jim said, shaking her hand, "I'm Jim Powell, and this is my wife, Stephanie."

"Well, thank you for saving our town from this menace, Mr. and Mrs. Powell." Regina said, smiling.

"She's the real menace!" Emma shouted from a distance.

"Aren't you, your majesty?" Snow asked.

"What are they talking about?" Stephanie asked.

"She's an Evil Queen who banished us to this land," Snow shouted, "taking away all our memories, ripping us apart from our true loves!"

"She has to be stopped," Charming said.

"Not today," Regina scowled, as she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"What just happened?" Stephanie asked.

"Sounds like you need a debriefing," Emma said.

Later, at Snow's apartment…

"So this town is full of exiled fairy tale characters and we're sitting here talking with Snow White and Prince Charming?" Stephanie asked.

"And their daughter," Emma said, "I had a tough time believing all this at first too, but my son, Henry, convinced me otherwise."

"Hi, I'm Henry." Henry said, "I'm Snow White's grandson."

"Nice to meet you," Stephanie said.

"He was adopted by Regina," Emma said, "but we freed him from that sociopath. So tell us your story. How did you guys get superpowers?"

"Well, it all started when we took a family trip to the Amazon," Jim said, "our plane crashed and we got superpowers, us and our two children who are at home."

"Apparently there was a chemical called trilsetum in the river, which gave us permanent superpowers," Stephanie said, "I'm a scientist. I worked for a company called Globaltech."

"Yeah, I think I've heard of it," Emma said, "they do environmental projects and stuff, right?"

"Yes, but there is tons of other research as well," Stephanie said, "we soon realized that my boss, Dr. King, was giving the trilsetum formula to criminals giving them temporary superpowers with each injection."

"Anyway, to make a long story short," Jim said, "King was taking the formula too, to prevent his cancer that he had from killing him. It gave him superpowers, but in the end, we defeated him."

"King's supervisor is a ruthless woman named Helen Burton. She kidnapped our son and threatened us all with death unless we revealed the secret to our permanent superpowers," Stephanie said, "she put 80 criminals on a plane carrying trilsetum, and had it crash, giving 80 criminals permanent super abilities."

"We've had to hunt down and defeat these criminals, but our friend George, was on the plane too, and he gained some superpowers of his own." Jim said, "We defeated the last of them, but Helen Burton and her accomplice, Victoria Morrow, a shapeshifter, are still at large."

"Wow," Emma said, "the only superpower I have is I can tell when someone's lying, and you certainly aren't."

"What's with this force, this…magic?" Stephanie asked.

"As soon as I broke the Queen's curse, someone unleashed magic on Storybrooke," Emma said, "we still don't know what it does, but apparently Regina has powers now."

"Then you'll need us to stop her," Jim said. "We're in."

Meanwhile, Regina was in her old office.

She was shuffling through papers.

"Such a lovely office," a female voice, with a hint of a British accent, said from a distance. Helen Burton appeared from the shadows. "It looks fit for a Queen. Too bad the citizens of this town want your head on platter."

"Who are you?" Regina asked.

"The bigger question is, who are you, your majesty?" Helen asked, raising an eyebrow.

Regina gasped.

"Yes, I know all about you, Ms. Mills." Helen said, "My company has had this town under surveillance for months. My name is Helen Burton. I'm the CEO of a major company known as Globaltech. Help me, and I shall see to it that you remain on the throne of power forever."

"I don't need your help," Regina sneered, "I have magic again, so I am powerful. No one can touch me."

"Is that so?" Helen asked, "I have a few people I'd like to introduce you to."

"Wait," Regina said, "First I have a question for you. How did you get here? Who are these people, the Powells, and why do they have so-called 'superpowers'? "

"It seems as though the magic barrier in this town is not as strong as you may have thought it." Helen said.

"I didn't bring magic here." Regina says, "This was all Rumplestiltskin. That twisted imp! He will pay."

"And I can see to it that you get the revenge you want," Helen said, "I don't suppose I have to introduce him to you, do I?"

Archie Hopper stepped out of the shadows.

"Dr. Hopper!" Regina exclaimed, "I—"

"Save it, your majesty," Hopper said.

"I went to visit Dr. Hopper's office earlier today, and look who I found," Helen Burton said, as she held up a jar that contained Jiminy Cricket. Jiminy pounded on the glass as he screamed, "let me go" in a muffled voice.

"But Dr. Hopper is Jiminy Cricket!" Regina said.

"Exactly," Helen said. "I'd like to introduce you to former Detective O'Bannon of the Pacific Bay Police Department."

"Actually, I come from your world, my Queen." O'Bannon said, "My parents were thieves and conned a vendor who was selling magic beans. Jiminy and I are twin brothers, I got a hold of one of the beans and it created a vortex that sent me to this world. I became a detective, but I wanted to get rich so I tried to knock off the DA after killing a prominent member of the force. All I remember is giving my gun to a teenaged girl and going to jail in handcuffs. Now I think she must've placed some sort of mental suggestion in my mind. "

"So that's the connection," Regina said, "that's why these superpowered people were able to come through to Storybrooke."

"Well, that could be one of the reasons. Speaking of superpowers," Helen said, as she turned her head to the shadows, "Come here, dear!"

Regina stood face to face with herself. She gasped in shock.

"Hello, your majesty," the Regina impersonator said, as she transformed into Victoria, "it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Victoria."

"Victoria is a shapeshifter," Helen said, "she can be quite handy to our cause, wouldn't you agree?"

"Of course," Regina said.

"However, every Queen needs an army," Helen said, "and it seems that is something which you appear to be lacking. And so, Regina, I'd like to introduce you to your personal royal guard. Gentlemen?"

Roy Minor, Lucas Winnick, and Ben, the electrical villain came out of the shadows.

"Show Her Majesty what you can do." Helen said.

They each displayed their powers.

"An excellent demonstration," Regina said, "but you have no idea what _I'm _capable of!"

She used her magical energy to pin the three supervillains against the wall.

"I am Queen," Regina sneered, "you will obey me, or you will be destroyed."

She let them down with one wave of her hand.

"Time for a wardrobe change," she said, as she proceeded to engulf herself in a magical cloud of purple smoke. When the smoke cleared, she emerged wearing her Queenly raiment that she wore when she talked to Rumplestiltskin about Belle.

"Come," Regina said, "I have need of your services."

"In the meantime, 'Detective'", Helen said, "I think it would behoove you to get back to Dr. Hopper's office."

"Right," O'Bannon said.

"Come Victoria," Helen said, "I've always wanted to see what's it's like to burn a cricket."

She held up the glass jar that contained a worried Jiminy and smiled wickedly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Back in Pacific Bay, George talked with Daphne and J.J.

"Did Mom and Dad call yet?" JJ asked, "What's going on?"

"I don't know, J.J." George said, "but with my new powers, I can be over there quicker than your Ma."

The phone rang.

"It's Mom!" Daphne said, "George, answer it!"

"Hello?" George asked, picking up the phone.

"George, listen to me," Stephanie said, "Jim and I are in this town and it's full of fairy tale characters."

"You're yankin' my chain," George said.

"No, George, it's true." Jim said, getting on the line, "we defeated the last criminal, but now we have to contend with an Evil Queen, plus Ms. Burton and Victoria are still unaccounted for."

"George, drop the kids off at Katie's and come here." Stephanie said, "meet us at Granny's bed-and-breakfast."

"Alright," George said, as he hung up the phone.

"Well, what did she say?" JJ asked.

"What? Mom won't let us come with you?" Daphne asked, "This is so unfair!"

"Listen kids, I have to do what your parents tell me to," George said, "we're gonna go to Katie's place, and you're gonna stay with her and Joshua and the baby."

"Alright, we'll go to Katie's." Daphne said.

I have a plan. Daphne thought towards her brother.

At Katie's house.

"Ok, so if Dr. Powell wants me to watch her children along with my own newborn while she, you, and Jim have an adventure battling fairy tale characters, I'll do it." Katie said, "I just hope she brings me back a souvenir. Maybe a glass slipper or an enchanted rose. Just don't bother with poisoned apples though."

"George, let us come with you," Daphne said, as she mind-pushed her father's friend.

"I think I'll let you come with me." George said.

"George, no!" Katie protested. "She's using her—"

"It'll be ok, Katie!" Daphne said, as she mind-pushed her mother's friend.

"I think that sounds ok!" Katie said, smiling.

Daphne and JJ exchanged a clever smirk.

"Have fun!" Katie said gleefully.

"OK, kids," George said, "get close!"

The kids got around him in a huddle, and he snapped his fingers.

They were instantly transported to Storybrooke.

George walked into Granny's bed-and-breakfast.

"Hello," George said, coming up to the counter that Granny is standing behind, "My name's George St. Cloud. I'm an ADA from Pacific Bay. I'm looking for my friends, Jim and Stephanie Powell."

"How did you get here?" Granny asked, "The magic shouldn't let people in. No one comes here."

"Well, looks like things are changing," George said, "Now where are they?"

"There's no one here by that name," Granny said, "if you'd like I could get you a room, just remember to lock your doors at night. The wolves are known to come out."

"Daphne, read her mind," JJ whispered.

Daphne used her power on Granny.

Oh, Red, don't be changing on me again. Granny thought, That's the last thing we need, magic here.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but can I just say that's a lovely sweater you're wearing. It really brings out your eyes." Daphne said, as she placed her hands over Granny's hands.

She saw Granny in fairy tale land with her crossbow, Granny killing her husband, Red Riding Hood turning into a werewolf. Granny and Snow White finding Red. Granny giving a key to Emma.

Daphne gasped.

"Why thank you, dear." Granny said. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no," Daphne said hesitantly, "I'm fine."

"Can I offer you something to drink?" Granny asked sweetly, "A glass of warm milk, perhaps?"

"Pardon me, ma'am, but we're gonna have to get going." George said.

They stepped outside.

"OK, Daphne," George said, "What did you see?"

"Mom's right, that woman is a fairy tale character." Daphne said, "she's Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother. Only in this story Red Riding Hood is the wolf."

"That's explains why she made that remark about wolves." George said.

"Did you find anything about Mom and Dad?" JJ asked, "where are they?"

"She didn't know anything about Mom and Dad," Daphne said. "She was thinking something about magic."

"Then I wonder where they are," JJ said, "They could be in trouble."

"We're fine," Stephanie said, as she raced up to them, "I'm right here."

"Wow, the world's fastest woman is late," George said.

"George, I thought I told you to leave the kids at Katie's!" Stephanie said.

"Well, I—" George said.

"Never mind!" Stephanie said, "we need to talk someplace private."

At Snow's apartment…

"So this is Snow White and Prince Charming?" Daphne asked in disbelief.

"Yes Daphne, you read their minds, right?" Stephanie asked.

"I know, but still," Daphne said, "This is insane! I was Snow White for Halloween when I was little and I now I discover she's real and I'm talking to her in the flesh!"

"Yes, I'm quite real," Snow said, "and so is my step-mother, the Queen. She destroyed everyone's happiness, but we're getting it back."

"Mom, where's Dad?" Daphne asked.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, sweetie." Stephanie said, "when your father and I called George a little while ago, I noticed Dad was acting a little weird. He said he was going to patrol the town and told me to wait here. He said he would meet you guys at the meeting spot, but when you didn't show up for a while, I got worried and went out looking for you. I think your dad's run into some trouble."

"No doubt Regina's behind it!" Emma said.

"I say we storm Regina's fortress and demand she release Mr. Powell!" Charming said.

"Not yet, Dad," Emma said, "we don't have solid evidence. If we can find some way to confront Regina without her feeling threatened then we can save Mr. Powell."

"I can do it," George said, "I can pop in and out of her castle or office in the blink of an eye. And she doesn't even know who I am."

"Then go, George," Stephanie said, "find Jim. If you run into any trouble—"

"I'll pop back here right away." George said.

"You'd better take this just in case," Snow said, as she handed him a whistle. "Blow it when you need help and we'll hear it. The Huntsman gave it to me."

"Graham," Emma sighed in remorse, "Henry, you were right. Regina must've killed Graham. But how?"

"She tore out his heart." Henry said, "and then she crushed it."

"That's why it looked like he had a heart-attack." Emma realized. "That witch is gonna pay!"

"Be safe, George." Stephanie said, "and good luck. We're all counting on you."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

fairytale flashback…

(Takes place during OUAT, "That Still Small Voice" when Jiminy is an adult, before he meets with Rumplestiltskin…)

Jiminy's brother, Edward Cricket, was walking with him and their parents.

"I don't understand," Jiminy said, "all this time I had a twin brother, and you never told me?"

"We'll that's what you get when yer bein' raised by con-artists, son." his father joked.

"We thought you were smarter than that," his mother said, "when you boys were born, we couldn't afford to keep both of you, so we conned a young, childless couple into carin' for young Edward, here."

"And now I'm ready to continue in the family business." Edward said.

"Well, I don't know if it's right for me," Jiminy said.

Later, when Jiminy and the parents are asleep…

Edward walks about in the wilderness, alone.

"I summon the one known as Reul Ghorm!" Eddie whispered.

The Blue Fairy appeared.

"What do you require?" she asked.

"Listen," Edward said, "I want to figure out a way to rid myself of my parents and my meddlesome brother."

"I do not know what you mean," the Blue Fairy said.

"My family is making me look bad." Edward said.

"Well, surely you must love them." she said.

"My name is not Shirley, and I do love them, with all my heart. I just want to transport them to a place where they won't be harmed." Edward said.

"Why?" she asked, "What do you get from it? What do you want?"

"Let's just say I want to teach my family a lesson they will never forget." Ed said.

"Well, all I have for something such as what you speak of is a magic bean." she said, showing him a glowing blue bean. "Plant this in the soil and it will transport those around it to another realm, a place where they will be safe from harm. There's only one catch; with this particular bean, once your family has been transported, you will forget that you ever knew them."

In Storybrooke…

George went to Regina's office and knocked on the door. The coldhearted Queen transformed her Queenly gown into her usual business attire. She answered the door.

"Can I help you?" she asked, as she saw George in front of her. She wondered who he was, what he wanted and why he was here.

"Ma'am, my name is George St. Cloud." George said, as he pulled out his card from his coat pocket, "I'm an ADA with the Pacific Bay Police Department. I understand you're the mayor of this town."

"Yes," Regina said with a grin, exchanging a hand-shake, "My name is Regina Mills. It's nice to meet you, Mr. St. Cloud. Now tell me, why are you here?"

He walked into the office.

"I was getting to that Ms. Mills." George said, "We've been following a suspect: one Rudy Brown, a criminal who now possesses permanent metaphysical, augmented, superhuman abilities. He's wanted for murder, theft, and mayhem, and we have reason to believe he was last seen in this town."

"Interesting," Regina said, as she headed over to her desk, "Yes, I seem to recall a savage brute, matching the description you gave, comb through my town like a barren wasteland."

She picked up an apple out of the basket on her desk.

"He was defeated," George said, "by a couple with the last name of Powell."

"How do you know this?" Regina sneered menacingly.

"The police department placed a special tracking device on him that lets us know who he's interacted with at all times. The readings show he was defeated by the Powells." George said.

"Granted that's true, how do you know he isn't back on the streets right now, counselor?" Regina asked, "if I were you, I'd do my job more closely, and examine each and every file."

"Madam Mayor, we've lost track of the Powells," George said.

"Hmm," Regina mused, "no doubt they've moved on by now, to protect another city from injustice. Have a pleasant journey, Mr. St. Cloud, and as a parting gift, why don't you have an apple? You know what they say about health and wellness."

He took the apple from her outstretched arm.

"Thank you, your…honor." George said, "be seeing you."

As George departed, Regina's smile quickly turned into a scowl, and she used her magic to push aside a bookcase. She changed back into her royal robes. She went down a narrow stairway that led to a dungeon. Jim Powell was her prisoner.

"Let me go!" Jim yelled, "you can't contain me!"

"Oh, I believe I can," Regina snarled, "An…associate of mine told me that I might try dosing you with a high amount of cinoxate, stripping away your abilities. Using chemicals like this, it's not usually my style; I prefer curses. Unfortunately for you, I have powers."

She unleashed a force of magical energy that sent Jim flying backward.

"Once your wife and children are out of the way, I will be all-powerful once again." Regina chuckled with mirth.

"You leave my family alone!" Jim cried out in rage.

"Oh, I have no intention of hurting them," Regina said, "on the contrary, dear. If their powers can be manipulated and harnessed for my purposes, I shall be unstoppable. Emma Swan, Snow White, not even Rumplestiltskin will be able to defeat me. All I need is the Trilsetum. Your wife should come in handy with the knowledge about it that I need. Until we meet again, Mr. Powell."

She laughed wickedly as she walked away.

Later back at Snow's apartment.

"I talked to Regina, she didn't know anything." George said, "at least she didn't seem to."

"It probably was just a ploy," Snow said, "to lead you off her trail."

"I have an idea," Emma suggested, "why don't we question the town shrink, Archie Hopper, now known as Jiminy Cricket?"

"A cricket is the town psychiatrist?" Stephanie asked in disbelief.

"He's in human form right now." Henry said.

"And Charming and I will consult the Blue Fairy." Snow said.

"Alright, George, you, J.J., and I will go with Snow and Charming to visit…the Blue Fairy," Stephanie said, barely able to believe the words that were coming out of her own mouth, "Daphne, you go with Emma and Henry to consult Dr. Hopper aka Jiminy Cricket."

"On second thought, I'm going to visit Mr. Gold alias Rumplestiltskin," Emma said, "I have a feeling he's behind all this magic."

"Then let's get moving!" Charming said.

Emma came up to Daphne.

"You better take care of my kid," Emma whispered, "Don't let anything happen to him, got me?"

"Yes ma'am." Daphne responded.

"Good," Emma said, "I'll rendezvous with you as soon as I can."

Meanwhile, at Mr. Gold's pawn shop…

"Y'know, Belle," Rumple said, "I've discovered something fascinating about the magic in this realm."

Belle looked at him intuitively.

"I can change my appearance," Rumple said, "Rumplestiltskin…"

He snapped his fingers and a puff of smoke engulfed him, changing him back into his Storybrooke counterpart..

"Mr. Gold," he said, as he held up his dagger, "and it's all contained within this simple little dagger."

The bell on the door to his shop rang, as Emma Swan burst in. Rumple quickly hid the dagger.

"Gold, we need to talk," Emma said.

"Ah, yes," Mr. Gold said, "What can I do for you, Miss Swan?"

"Drop it!" Emma said coldly, "First of all, who's she?"

"This is my love who was lost to me, thanks to Regina," Gold said, "but now she's back to stay. Her name is Belle. Belle, this is the savior, Emma Swan, daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming."

"Nice to meet you," Belle said, extending a hand. "Rumple's told me so much about you."

"Well, 'Rumple' has some explaining to do," Emma said, "what is this magic you brought to Storybrooke; what can it do?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, dearie." Rumple said, "It seems that the talk of the town is all about superhuman people with extraordinary abilities, the Powell family if I've heard correctly."

"Listen, 'dearie'," Emma said harshly, "The Powells are unimportant right now. What's the deal with this magic?"

"Miss Swan, magic is power," Rumple said, "but it also comes with a price."

"Well, I have a feeling you're going to be the one to pay it," Emma said, as she walks out of the shop.

Later, at Archie's office, Daphne and Henry were investigating.

"Henry, what can I do for you?" the faux Archie asked.

"Oh, hi Archie!" Henry exclaimed, "or should I say Jiminy Cricket! Guess I don't need my therapy sessions anymore, huh?"

"Nope," O'Bannon said, "but just remember: always let your conscience be your guide!"

He stared at Daphne.

"You!" Daphne whispered.

"Can I help you, miss?" O'Bannon asked.

"Oh, sorry, Jiminy," Henry said, "this is my new friend, Daphne Powell. She's from out of town."

"Just curious," Daphne said, "Have you ever been to Pacific Bay?"

She read his mind.

I hope this kid doesn't find out who I am! he thinks, Wait, she looks familiar. She's Jim Powell's daughter! She's the one who manipulated me!

She gasped.

"Well, this curse wouldn't let me leave town, so I'm afraid I haven't." "Archie" said, "Frankly, I don't understand how you made it to Storybrooke. The magic that's been unleashed has this town sealed tighter than a snare drum. Is everything alright, Miss Powell?"

"Yeah," Daphne said slowly, "I'm…fine."

"You know what they say about curiosity, Miss Powell," O'Bannon said standing up with a smirk upon his face.

"W-What are you talking about?" Daphne asked hesitantly.

"Jiminy, what are you doing?" Henry asked.

"I just need to teach you both a lesson of conscience you'll never forget!" O'Bannon said, as he shoved them both in a closet.

"No, O'Bannon, let us—" Daphne started to mind-push him, but he slammed and locked the door shut, preventing her from controlling him.

"Jiminy, let us out!" Henry cried.

O'Bannon walked off.

Meanwhile, Stephanie, JJ, George, Snow and Prince Charming were at the Convent.

"Well, this is the Blue Fairy's convent, but where is she?" Snow asked.

"I'm right here, Snow," she said.

The Blue Fairy aka Mother Superior came up to them in her nun robes.

"Why are you still dressed as a nun?" Snow asked, "I thought with magic coming to this place you would revert back to your fairy form."

"Rumplestiltskin was the one who brought the magic here," the Blue Fairy said, "with him controlling it for his purposes, I dare not tap into its power. The magic he possesses is a dark evil."

"All we want to know is what happened to my husband, Jim." Stephanie said.

"Ah, yes." The Blue Fairy said, "Your husband is the Queen's prisoner. She wants you as well."

"Then I'll find her," Stephanie said, "and rescue Jim."

"Wait," The Blue Fairy cautioned, "The Queen has united with a foe from your world. A dangerous woman whose evil is as great as Regina's, or even surpasses her."

"Helen Burton," Stephanie said, "What kind of evil would those two women unleash? And what use could Helen have with magic?"

"I'm sure your foe has her own schemes in mind." Charming said.

Sometime later, Regina decided to go to the playground which was now a replica of her old palace. She was back in business attire.

"Extraordinary," Helen said, sitting on a park bench nearby, "A playground for children modeled after a regal castle. I'm sorry, your majesty, but there is one thing I neglected to mention. I don't normally give out the services of these meta-criminals for free of charge. As magic comes with a price, so too do superpowered criminals."

"I don't need to give you anything!" Regina snapped, "My power is limitless. I can destroy you with a single gesture!"

"But you won't!" Helen said, "Did you ever wonder why none of those metahumans ever decided to take me down and run the show themselves?"

"What, do you have some sort of immunity towards them?" Regina asked.

"You might say that," Helen said, "I can shut them down in an instant. Just like I can shut you down."

"I highly doubt that," Regina smirked, "No one can control my power."

She zapped Helen, but the blast turned back at her. Regina fell to the ground.

Helen picked up a familiar looking staff that she had hidden behind the playground.

"It's a little present I received from a good friend of yours," Helen said, "she instructed me to make you suffer."

"Maleficent!" Regina growled, "She'll pay!"

"I don't see that happening any time soon," Helen said, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a certain imp to visit."

She walked off, leaving Regina groveling in the dirt.

(Fairy tale flashback)

Edward led his brother and parents through the enchanted forest.

"Mom, Dad, Jiminy, I have a surprise for you," Edward said, "just follow me a little further."

He led them to a crossroads in the forest.

"Now just stand here for moment," he said, "I'm going to check if the coast is clear. If you need me, give a little whistle!"

He hid behind a tree, waiting for the magic to engulf his family.

After a few minutes he came back out.

"What's the matter?" Eddie asked, "Why are you still here?"

Suddenly, a green glow surrounded Eddie.

"Wait, what's going on?" Eddie asked.

"We found that fancy bean of yers, son." Ed's father said. "We know that vendor in the market was tryin' to sell 'em. Well, we know the vendor is the Blue Fairy."

"Looks like you're leaving us, Eddie," Mum said, "we'll miss you."

"Never try to con a con, son." Dad said, "it doesn't work."

He turned to Jiminy, "let that be a lesson to you, my boy."

"Jiminy will make a fine swindler," Mum said, "you weren't cut out for this work."

"Nooooo!" Eddie screamed as he faded away.

"What were we doing?" Jiminy asked, his memory devoid of his brother's existence.

"I don't know," his father said, "but we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Places to go, people to take advantage of. I suggest we hit the hay."

Back in Storybrooke…

Jiminy stared out of his glass jar prison. He was with Victoria in Regina's old office.

"I remember now," he said, "Eddie, my brother. The Queen's curse must've reversed the bean's spell."

"Unfortunately, you won't be reversing this barbeque." Victoria said, picking up the jar containing the captive cricket, "Ms. Burton doesn't like useless things lying around so let's say we dispose of you shall we?"

She emptied the jar onto a sheet of flypaper, leaving poor Jiminy helpless and stuck. Victoria picked up a magnifying glass, and started to roast the cricket while he chirped in pain.

Later…

The bells rang on the door to Mr. Gold's pawnshop.

Helen Burton walked in.

"Hello, Madam, what can I do for you?" Mr. Gold asked.

"That depends," Helen said, "I'm looking for a man named Mr. Gold."

"I am he," Gold said.

"That's funny, I've heard that you have a few…other names as well. Oh, how rude of me. Speaking of names, and I haven't introduced myself. My name is Helen Burton."

He shook her hand.

"Ah yes," he recalled, "The illustrious CEO of the Globaltech company. I believe we spoke on the phone earlier, Ms. Burton."

"Yes, and as promised, I have taken care of the royal pain in your side, the Regina problem." Helen said.

"Now how did you manage that?" Rumple chuckled.

"I can be very intimidating when I want to be, Mr. Gold." Helen said. "Now that your…competition has been eliminated, I demand what you promised me."

"I don't know what yer talkin' about, Dear," Gold said, "I didn't promise you anything."

"Yes, you did." Helen said, "you claimed there is magic in this town and said you would offer me a portion of this magic in exchange for eliminating Regina from the game-board."

"Except we all know that pawn gets the Queen back, now don't we?" Rumple asked.

"That depends on who the pawn is," Helen said.

Belle came out from the back room.

"Rumple, what's going on?" she asked.

"Yes, what _is _going on Rumple?" Helen asked, "if that is your real name. Who is she? Where is this magic? I'll give you forty-five seconds to explain."

She took out a gun from her purse, and aimed it at Belle's head.

"Don't do anything foolish, Dearie," Rumple said, "Her name is Belle, and she's my love."

"Oh, how sweet," Helen said with faux compassion, "that'll make it all the more tragic when you don't tell me the location of the magic. Twenty-nine seconds, Rumple."

"Well, the thing is a good part of the magic…is in me!" Rumple said, as he engulfed Helen in a cloud of purple smoke, transforming her into a snail. The gun fell to the floor. Rumple picked it up.

"I'll teach you to mess with my true love!" Rumple yelled, as he aimed the gun at the snail and got ready to squash her with his boot.

"Rumple, no!" Belle shouted, "there's no need for this sort of violence."

"But she was going to murder you Belle!" Rumple said, "I just have to protect you!"

"This isn't the way and you know it!" Belle said, "now change her back and send her on her way."

"Oh, alright," Rumple said, "I suppose there could be some further use for her."

He snapped his fingers and Helen changed back to normal.

"Well, you got a taste of the magic firsthand," Rumple said, as he aimed the gun at Helen, "but that's all yer ever gonna get out of me, Dearie. Remember, magic is power, but it also comes with a price. Get moving!"

He pushed Helen out the door.

Meanwhile, Victoria continued to torture Jiminy.

Suddenly, she was whacked upside the head with a shovel and knocked unconscious.

Geppetto freed Jiminy.

"Come," Geppetto said, "my boy. He needs you."

Meanwhile, Daphne and Henry tried to figure out how to escape the broom closet.

"So that wasn't Jiminy Cricket?" Henry asked.

"No, he's an ex-cop from my hometown." Daphne said, "He tried to kill my dad's friend, but I…persuaded him otherwise. His real name is O'Bannon. He's dangerous. Don't know what he's doing here, though."

"Maybe he's working for the Queen." Henry said.

"Could be," Daphne said, "now how do we get out of here?"

"Use your powers," Henry said, "you must have some way to get out of here."

"All I can do is read minds and push people's thoughts," Daphne said, "A lot of good that does us in here."

"Where there's someone with mind powers, that means they have telekinesis," Henry said, "trust me, I read a lot of comics."

"I know someone who _love _to hang out with you," Daphne said.

"Just focus on the door knob," Henry said.

The door knob turned and the kids listened the gears turning inside. The door opened and they leave.

"You did it!" Henry said, "now let's go find that cop."

"Not so fast," Daphne said, "you're going home. I promised your mom I'd keep you safe."

"But I can help, please." Henry pleaded.

"Henry, it would be best if you go home," Daphne said, as she gently mind-pushed the boy.

"You're right," Henry said, "it's probably best if I go home."

Meanwhile, in August's room at Granny's bed-and-breakfast.

Jiminy and Geppetto came in to find Pinocchio as a wooden puppet lying motionless on the bed.

"Oh my gosh!" Jiminy cried, "Pinoke!"

"My boy," Geppetto whimpered, "what's happened to you?"

"Father?" Pinocchio asked, weakly.

"You're alive!" Geppetto exclaimed.

"It's the curse!" Jiminy said, "since Emma broke, Pinoke is turning back to normal."

"So you'll be a real boy, er, man, again!" Geppetto said.

"Excuse me," Red said, knocking on the door, "Granny wondered if I could get anything for you guys."

"Well, we'll need some heavy lifting equipment," Geppetto said.

"Of course," Red said, as she picked up a sledge hammer, "we'll this do?"

She knocked Geppetto over the head with it and transformed into Victoria.

"Victoria!" Jiminy exclaimed, "C'mon, Pinoke, we've got to get out of here!"

"You're going nowhere, you meddlesome cricket!" Victoria yelled, as she swatted Jiminy away.

"You on the other hand," Victoria said to Pinocchio, as she pressed a button behind the bed. Two metal chords came in through the window and attached to the bedpost. They then took the bed out the window, and Pinocchio was air-lifted by helicopter.

"Ms. Burton has big plans for you," Victoria scowled.

Granny came in.

"I heard a noise. What—?" Granny stopped as she saw Red with a gaping hole in the wall.

"Red, what happened?" Granny said, "don't tell me you wolfed-out again! It isn't even dark yet!"

"Yes, well Granny, apparently magic has some…unpredictable properties in this world." "Red" said.

"What happened to Geppetto? Where's Pinocchio?" Granny asked.

"The old man had a heart-attack when he saw what happened to his wooden son." "Red" said, "however, you'll soon be joining him."

She transformed back into Victoria.

Granny grabbed her cross-bow and shot Victoria with an arrow, but missed her.

"Stay back," Granny warned, "I'm armed!"

"You wouldn't be able to hit me with that thing even if you could, old woman!" Victoria said.

"Yeah, but you don't know about her secret weapon!" Red said, as she proceeded to attack Victoria.

"You can shapeshift," Red said, "but you have no idea what I turn into when the moon comes up."

Suddenly a magical force pried the two fighting women apart.

Regina appeared.

"Bow before your Queen!" she commanded. "I see your boss didn't waste any time trying to harness magic. She tried to destroy me. I've never gotten along particularly well with any of my…competition. What do you say, Victoria? Care to work for me instead? I'll pay you triple what Ms. Burton was paying you. Plus, there are certain…perks to working for a Queen."

"Let me guess," Victoria said, "I have to tidy up the dungeon?"

"Oh, I have far greater plans for you than that." Regina said, "you have no idea what I can offer you."

"Alright, I'm in." Victoria said.

Regina and Victoria walked away leaving Red, Granny, and Jiminy caring for a helpless Geppetto.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Alright, Henry, you stay here." Daphne said, as she dropped Henry off at the apartment of his grandmother, Snow White. "I'm going to find my parents."

"No wait, Daphne," JJ said, running out in the hallway to meet her, "I'll come with you."

"JJ, I thought you were with Mom and Snow White and the Prince." Daphne said.

"I was, but Mom told me to come back here." JJ said, "I've got some information I need to share with you. You can read my mind to see if I'm lying."

"Alright, you're telling the truth," Daphne said, "let's go."

"Henry," Emma called, "c'mon, we've got to go meet my parents. They've got a tip from the Blue Fairy about what Regina's up to."

"Operation Cobra, phase 3," Henry said, smiling up at his birth mother.

"Right," Emma said, "c'mon, time's wasting."

"But Emma, we just found out that someone from Daphne's town is impersonating Jiminy Cricket!" Henry said.

"Oh really?" Emma said, "who would do a thing like that?"

"An ex-cop apparently." Henry said, "He's probably working with the Evil Queen."

"C'mon, Snow and her Prince are waiting," Emma said, as they got into her yellow, little Volkswagen and drove off.

Up in the apartment, George was on his cell phone.

"No, Katie, everything's fine. Jim'll find a way out. Stephanie's looking for him now." George said.

Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door.

"Oops, gotta go." George said, "talk to you later."

He hung up the phone and went to answer the door.

Emma stood before him!

"Hey Emma," George said, "forget your keys?"

"George, where's Henry?" she asked, "Daphne just called me to say she dropped him off here."

"That's funny," George said, "'cause he just left with you."

Emma and George exchanged shocked looks.

"Emma" and Henry continued to drive.

"So, Emma," Henry said, "now that you're my mom now instead of the Queen, can I call you Mom?"

"Of course," "Emma" said, smiling.

"So where are we going, anyway?" Henry asked inquisitively.

"I told you, to see my parents who are meeting with the Blue Fairy." "Emma" said.

"Then why are we going to the Queen's old office?" Henry asked.

"Y'know, you ask a lot of questions, you know that?" Emma said, "The Blue Fairy said to meet here. Now that Regina's lost power she won't come back here. This is our defense against her."

They got out of the car and walked down a long corridor.

"Hello, Henry," Regina said.

"Regina, what you doing here?" "Emma" asked.

"I've only come to have a little chat with my son, Ms. Swan." Regina said.

"He's not yours, anymore." "Emma" said.

"I'm aware of that, Ms. Swan." Regina said. "Listen, Henry—"

"Emma, where're Grandma and Grandpa?" Henry asked. "You said the Queen wouldn't be here. Where's the Blue Fairy? I think you're not my Mom!"

"Emma" transforms back into Victoria.

"What was your first clue?" she asked, smugly.

Regina gasped. "I'm appalled. That someone could pretend to be my son's birth mother in order to make a mockery of me while I try to make peace?"

"What're you talking about?" Henry asked.

"Henry, I only wanted you to be happy." Regina said, stooping down to his level and smiling, "I thought that if I could sign a peace treaty with your birth mother than we could both see you. Only, I discover this imposter tries to kidnap my son!"

"Guilty as charged," Victoria said, as she threw her hands in the air.

"Henry, it doesn't have to be like this," Regina said, "we can be a family again. Come back to me, please."

"No," Henry said, "I want to be with my real mom. You don't care about anyone's happiness but your own!"

He ran away.

Regina transformed her business suit back into her Queenly raiment.

"You know, he has a point," Victoria said.

"Silence!" Regina shouted.

"I bet you wish you had the power that Rumplestiltskin has over you right now." Victoria said.

"I said SILENCE!" the Queen bellowed as she zapped Victoria into a wall.

"Yes, your majesty." she said.

"Well, at least I still have my prisoner." Regina said, as she went down the secret hallway where Jim Powell was contained, only to find that he had escaped.

"No!" Regina said, "how could he escape?"

"Well, the cinoxate only weakens his powers for about an hour or two at a time." Victoria said, "if you want I could track him down for you."

She transformed into Stephanie Powell.

"No, this assignment requires a more…delicate approach." Regina said, smiling.

"Then I'm just the man for the job," came a voice from the shadows.

Lucas Winnick stepped out, bearing his claws.

"But I'm more than a man now," he said, "I'm a beast!"

"I'd like to see Rumple top that," Regina muttered, "Go hunt down Jim Powell and bring him to me, alive. If necessary, find his wife, Snow White, and her Prince. Do not harm Henry and do not fail me!"

"Yes, your majesty," he said, as he bowed.

Meanwhile, Stephanie ran through town, trying to find Jim. She stopped when she spotted him on the street corner, near the Hardware store.

"Jim!" she called, "Honey, you're ok!"

She ran over to him, as they kissed and embraced passionately.

"Of course I am!" he said, "That Queen locked me up in some sort of dungeon. Victoria must've shapeshifted into me to fool you. Regina told me she wants you to give the trilsetum formula, but I'm not going to let that happen!"

"No, we're going to stand and fight against the Queen, against Helen, and against whatever other threats we face." Stephanie said.

"Yes, and I can already tell you that you better be prepared for a war," came a voice from around a corner. A man dressed in 19th Century British aristocratic garb approached them.

Jim stood ready for a fight.

"Who are you?" Jim demanded, "What do you want?"

"Calm down," the man said, holding up his hands, "my name is Jefferson. I'm not here to fight. I'm here to warn you of future encounters you may have."

"Do you work for the Queen?" Jim asked.

"I used to," Jefferson sighed, "she gave me no choice in the matter, threatening my family. But I'm here to ask you to help me get revenge on her."

"Jefferson, you always have a choice." Stephanie said, "we understand. Our son was kidnapped by an evil woman about a year ago. We know how much you must hate Regina, but revenge isn't the answer. We can help you find another way."

"Ever since the Queen's curse transported us all here, I've been waiting for the day when I could finally win back my daughter and rid this land of the Evil Queen. Since she didn't wipe my memory, I started to look for outside contacts outside of Storybrooke. I heard about your scientific achievements with Globaltech, Dr. Powell, and I thought, maybe if magic can't beat Regina, maybe science and technology can." Jefferson said, "That's why I brought you all here. I heard about your accident in the Amazon, and how superpowered people were running amok in Pacific Bay. Rumplestiltskin brought magic to Storybrooke, but with my hat I was able to create a rift in the magical barrier allowing you to come here."

"So how did Helen and her accomplices get here?" Jim asked.

"Only one possible answer," Jefferson said, "Rumplestiltskin let them through."

"Then that means we have to stop them." Stephanie said.

"Then let's go!" Jim said.

"Good luck, Mr. and Mrs. Powell," Jefferson said, "The fate of Storybrooke rests in your hands, no pressure."

Jim took his wife in his arms, and leapt off into the distance.

"An outstanding performance, Jefferson." a female voice said from behind him. Helen Burton was sitting in her black limousine parked on by the curb, with the window rolled down. "Get in."

He reluctantly got in the limo, and sat down next to her.

"Who said anything about performing?" the Hatter asked, "The Powells will stop you, and when they do, Storybrooke will be back in the hands of the people."

"Oh, I highly doubt that," Helen said, "my last male employee failed me, but I have to commend the Powells in taking care of his disposal so I didn't have to. I trust you will not fail me, Jefferson, especially when the life of your precious daughter, Grace, hangs in the balance."

"Grace!" Jefferson shouted, "What have you done with her?"

"Don't worry," Helen said, "She will not be harmed, as long as you do as I say."

"So that's it?" he said, "You're pulling a card out of Regina's pocket? Blackmailing me and threatening my family unless I obey your every word? Well, I won't have it!"

"I'm sure that you care so deeply for your daughter's life that you will do anything to get her back safely, am I right?" Helen asked.

"Yes, but I won't let you threaten my family any longer!" Jefferson shouted. "I will not be pushed around."

"Regina was right," Helen said, "you don't have the gumption to stand up for yourself. No wonder everyone takes advantage of you, you spineless urchin!"

His expression grew angrier and more intense.

"Well, I can assure you, I won't be taking advantage of you," Helen said, "it is your services I require. The special magic you can weave with that hat of yours."

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Well for starters, I need to get to a certain place to pick up a few things," Helen said.

In Mr. Gold's shop, Rumple/Mr. Gold spun the globe that sat on the countertop.

"That's quite a marvelous globe you have there, Rumplestiltskin," Belle mused, "I'd love to travel the world with you, and go on an adventure."

"Yes, well, they'll be time for that later, Belle." Rumple said, "I'm planning a trip of my own."

"Well, take me with you." Belle said.

"I can't do that, Dearie," Rumple said, "you must remain here, ever vigilant, and watchful, waiting for the day when I return to Storybrooke."

"I thought no one can leave the town." Belle said.

"Yes, that was under Regina," Rumple said, "but I changed all that. When I brought magic to this realm, the rules of the game changed forever. Therefore I am now allowed the freedom to go where I wish and do what I please."

"Where you going?" Belle asked.

"I can't tell you that information, Dearie." Rumple said, "I wouldn't want the wrong people trying to force you to tell them my location, much like what happened this afternoon."

"I can handle myself, Rumple," Belle said, with confidence, "besides, you can at least tell me how long you'll be gone."

"I just have to pick up a few things, Belle." Rumplestiltskin said, "I should be back in a few weeks, give or take."

"I'll be waiting for you, my love." Belle said.

Meanwhile, JJ and Daphne walked down main street.

"So Snow White's Evil Queen teamed up with that crazy woman who tried to kill us?" Daphne asked her brother.

"Yeah," JJ said, "and I have a hunch that if we investigate the Queen's lair, we'll find everything we need so Mom and Dad can defeat these women once and for all. We'll need to slip in, unnoticed, the only problem is, how do we do that?"

"I think I've got that covered," Daphne said.

They entered the gateway to Regina's mansion.

"Halt, who goes there?" a guard shouted, "Stop, by order of the Queen! Stay your names and business!"

Daphne mind-pushed the guard.

"We're the Queen's new junior gardeners, and we'd like to examine her bank statements, for business purposes, of course." Daphne said.

"Of course, right this way." the guard said, allowing them to walk past.

JJ and Daphne snuck into Regina's home-office.

"What're we looking for?" JJ whispered.

"I don't know," his sister replied, "if I knew, we wouldn't have to find it. Any incriminating evidence that links Regina to the schemes of that crazy woman from Globaltech is what we need."

The two siblings heard muffled voices from down the hall.

"Quick, hide!" whispered Daphne.

"I don't want to ask you again!" Regina snapped, as she burst in the office, wearing business clothes and talking on her cell phone. "Just get the job done now!"

She hung up.

"Apparently Mr. Winnick is a tougher employee to deal with than you realized," Victoria Morrow said, sitting down at a chair at the desk opposite Regina.

The Powell kids were under the desk.

_I'd say this is pretty incriminating!_ JJ thought toward his sister, who could now communicate telepathically.

"Don't worry," Regina said, "I've got him on a short leash."

The two women heard a thud from underneath the desk.

"What was that?" Regina asked.

"It appears we have visitors, my Queen." Victoria said, as she grabbed them both by their shirt collars, "The Powell children. I'm sure their parents will be quite distraught to find them at the bottom of the Storybrooke lake."

"No," Regina said, putting her hand up, "I have much more satisfying plan for them. Put them down."

"Yes, your majesty." Victoria said, as she did as she was instructed.

"Children," Regina said with a smile, "how would you like to work for me?"

Daphne tried to read her mind, but Regina used her powers to block her.

"Oh, that won't work on me, child," Regina said, "What is your answer?"

"Even if I can't read your mind," Daphne said, "we know you're up to something sinister. Why should we trust you?"

"You shouldn't, however if you cooperate with me, I shall see to it that you are amply rewarded." Regina said.

"Whatever you've got, we're not buying." JJ said, as they start to walk away.

"On the other hand, perhaps I should try a different approach," Regina said with a sneer, "unless you do this favor for me, your parents and all your friends in Pacific Bay will be obliterated."

"You can't be serious," Daphne said, with a shocked look upon her face.

"Oh, I assure you, Miss Powell, I'm quite serious." Regina said.

"Alright, what do you want us to do?" JJ asked with a sigh.

"Excellent," Regina smiled, "You are to go to the house of the former Miss Ginger, now know by her true alias, the Blind Witch, and get me a piece of magic parchment that she stole from me."

"What do you intend to do with it?" Daphne asked.

"That's for me to know and you to find out." Regina said.

They started to walk off.

"Oh, and there's a couple things I neglected to mention," Regina said, "Don't tell your parents, their friends, or anyone you meet in this town about this or you will regret it, and when you get to her house, try not to nibble on any of the furniture."

Meanwhile in Pacific Bay…

Katie tried to spoon-feed her newborn baby while talking to George on the phone.

"Yeah, George, life's kinda tough dealing with little Gandalf here." Katie said. She turns to her infant in the high chair. "C'mon, open up! Who's a good boy? Who's a good super-baby?"

"I can't believe you named your kid, Gandalf!" George said.

"What?" Katie said, "I like _Lord of the Rings_. Is that a crime? I wanted my son to go through life with an awesome sounding name."

"Yeah, well, speaking of names, what about Joshua?" George asked, "how do you know that's his real name?"

"George, you of all people should know by now that he had his name legally changed." Katie said, "now that we're married, we don't keep secrets from each other anymore."

"Really?" George asked, skeptically, "Where is he right now?"

"At the grocery store getting food," Katie said, "with his powers gone, he's not as fast as the Flash, but he's still able to get the job done. How are things going in Storybrooke?"

"Swell," George said, "Jim and Steph just spoke with some guy who apparently looked like he came out of _Alice in Wonderland_. I mean, he looked weird, but he told them about how to beat the evil Queen."

"Really?" Katie said, "Wonderland is weird? Y'know for comic con next year, I think I'm going to do a little Queen of Hearts cosplay. The Catwoman outfit I wore last year just brings back too many bad memories."

"And who's your knight in shining armor gonna be?" George said, "Lancelot? The White Rabbit?"

"I'm thinking Joshua could go as Wolverine or maybe Captain Kirk even. I think he'd look totally hot in a USS Enterprise uniform." Katie said.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"Oh, got to go, George," Katie said, "That must be Joshua with the food. Coming sweetie!"

She answered the door.

A funny looking man with long brown hair and a cane appeared in the doorway.

"Can I help you, Sir?" she asked.

"Yes," the visitor said, in a thick Scottish accent, "I believe you can. My name is Mr. Gold. I'm looking for something I seemed to have lost."

Meanwhile, back in Storybrooke, the Powell kids arrived at the home of the Blind Witch.

"Alright, we sneak in, grab the thing, and leave." JJ whispered to his sister.

_It's better if we communicate telepathically._ Daphne thought toward her brother. Daphne had only developed the ability to telepathically communicate a couple months ago, but was already skilled in the technique, and only used it for emergency situations.

They carefully climbed in an open window, and spotted the Blind Witch napping on a nearby rocking chair.

_I see the parchment!_ Daphne thought.

_I know!_ JJ thought back, _I'll grab it! _

With his super-brain, JJ Powell visualized the best strategy to grab the parchment without disturbing the Blind Witch's slumber.

He grabbed it and snuck off.

"Excuse me," said a male voice, "I don't believe that belongs to you. I'm afraid you'll have to be reprimanded for that."

It was Lucas Winnick, bearing his claws.

"You!" Daphne gasped.

The Blind Witch awakened.

"We've got company!" Winnick said.

The Blind Witch inhaled deeply. "I smell children!" she hissed with satisfaction.

Meanwhile, in an undisclosed area, Helen is armed with Maleficent's staff. She waved the staff around in circles a few times, and then let loose a magical zap. The energy released from the staff formed into the shape of a human figure. Once the energy depleted, the figure was revealed to be Maleficent herself!

"Where am I?" she asked. "Who are you?"

"Maleficent," Helen cooed gently, "Be still. You're in a secret location. My name is Helen Burton and I revived you. You were dead, or very close to it, but I brought you back."

"That's impossible," the Mistress of all evil said. "Magic can't revive someone back from the dead."

"Not impossible," Helen said, "just very, very, difficult. It's true that magic doesn't have resurrection properties, but when coupled with chemical formulas that my scientists have created, there's no limit to what can be done. You've been through quite an adventure. It seems that when Ms. Swan destroyed you in your dragon form, your consciousness reverted back into your staff. I'm not all that familiar with magic, myself, but I'm learning, and growing quite fond of it. I could sense how much you hated Regina, so I took care of her for you."

"What could you possibly want with me?" Maleficent asked.

"I'm here to offer you a deal," Helen said, "I believe you're familiar with a man by the name of Jefferson?"

"Yes, Regina's Mad Hatter friend." Maleficent said.

"Well, he and I are planning on going on a little excursion, a quest, if you will, to find magic that will aid me in accomplishing my goals." Helen said, "if you help me in mastering magical properties and harnessing them with my experiments, I shall grant you dominion over the entire Pacific Bay area of California, plus, the small task of eliminating the Powell Family from the equation permanently, but more on that little matter later."

"How would I know I would want to rule this…Pacific Bay?" Maleficent asked.

"Trust me, there are many perks to ruling a city like that," Helen said, "subjugating civilians to your will and whatnot, plus that's where the Powells, the super-family, are from. And over there, supers are in abundance."

"You have a deal." Maleficent said, shaking her hand.


End file.
